Panther Pit bar in Oakland padlocked after recent raid and charges against owners

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The Panther Pit in Oakland was padlocked after the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office secured a preliminary injunction against the bar. 

According to court paperwork, the preliminary injunction was issued "due to immediate and irreparable harm which would otherwise occur" at the bar on Meyran Avenue. 

The Allegheny County Sheriff's Office said after the district attorney's office secured the preliminary injunction, deputies were ordered to secure the premises and change the locks to prevent anyone from getting inside. 

The bar was raided by liquor enforcement officers in September. Pennsylvania State Police said the Panther Pit had been operating without a license. Liquor Control Enforcement officers said they took nearly 350 gallons of liquor and 80 gallons of beer.

Police said that raid was the third since last year. The bar has also been cited nearly 20 times for underage drinking, according to police. 

Charges were filed in October against Prasad Margabandhu and Kenneth Plumb, who are listed as owners on court documents, for unlawful sales of alcohol in connection with the September raid. 

The court order enjoins the bar and owners from "selling, offering for sale, batering, furnishing or storing" alcohol. They're also barred from operating in Allegheny County for at least five days. 

The Panther Pit says in its Instagram bio that it isn't affiliated with the nearby University of Pittsburgh. 

The court will hear the request for a permanent injunction on Nov. 13, according to paperwork.